November 2016 Election, Utah County, Utah/Letter to Candidates
Here's a letter I wrote to candidates for Nebo School District - Board Seat 1 during the November 2016 Election, Utah County, Utah.
Letter
I'm a voter and blogger looking to get more insight into the candidates that I will need to choose between in the upcoming election this November, so I'm emailing both of the Nebo School District, Board Seat 1 candidates these four questions to help me learn more about them.
What inspires you to seek a seat on the board of the Nebo School District?
What do you feel to be the role of parents in their childrens' educational experiences?
How would you describe the job of a school board member?
What is the purpose of public education?
Who Was Emailed
Who Responded
Lisa Rowley
Jun 02, 2016 6:07 am
Thank you for your letter and I appreciate your interest in the upcoming election. I have lived in Santaquin for 35 years. We have raised our five children here and they have all attended schools in Nebo School District. I have had many opportunities to volunteer and serve in the public schools over the years and have been involved in the PTA on a school and district level, Room Mother, School Community Councils at the Elementary, Jr. High and High School levels and I also served on the Nebo Foundation Board. I have enjoyed and also felt it was my responsibility to be involved in my children’s education and serve in Nebo School District. I feel that serving on the Nebo School Board would allow me to continue to serve the children of our community, represent their best interests in our schools, be a liaison with District Administrators and prepare for future growth in a sensible way.
It is my firm belief that parents are an integral part of education. I believe that our children need the input and support of parents in conjunction with teachers and administration in order for students to succeed. I feel that there are many ways families can be involved in their child’s education depending on their desire, time and resources. I will continue to promote family and community involvement in our schools.
A school board member has a responsibility to represent students and parents in our district on the Board. I believe that they also look for ways to support the good things that are happening within our district - support the outstanding educators and administrators and also look for ways to continually improve the quality of education in our schools. I believe that our community and businesses can be a great resource in our schools and we need to encourage their support and input. I believe that we should always be looking forward and making decisions for growth in a timely way. I think a board member can facilitate communication between families and school administration. I am excited for the possibility of making Nebo School District even better!
I am very supportive of public education. I know its not a perfect institution but I believe that Nebo School District has served our community well in the past and I expect it to continue to go forward in a positive way. Public Education has the responsibility to prepare students with skills they will need to succeed in life. Its a rather daunting task! I believe that for public education to be successful requires a team effort of educators, families and the community. I am looking forward to being a part of Nebo School Board but I will continue to support our schools regardless of being on the Board or not. I want my neighbors, friends and grandchildren to have access to an education that will benefit our community and prepare young people to be successful, happy contributing members of society.
Sincerely,
Lisa Rowley
Eric Hazelet
Jun 03, 2016 7:07 am
Thank you for your questions. I have inserted my answers below. If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to ask.
Regards,
Eric Hazelet
What inspires you to seek a seat on the board of the Nebo School District?
- Education is not only a major part of our children’s lives during their formative years, but it plays a major role in the development of our local and state communities. We need a representative that will spend the time necessary to research the issues, solicit the communities’ input and work hard to make sure that the local families’ concerns are represented at the school board level. I’ve had the opportunity to serve on the Goshen Elementary Community Council for the last four years and participate on the school board’s Superintendent Advisory Committee for the last year and I felt that I should use those experiences to contribute on the Nebo School Board.
What do you feel to be the role of parents in their childrens' educational experiences?
- I’ve always been interested in my children’s education and I feel that it is imperative as parents that we stay involved with the educational experience throughout their school years to graduation so that we can be aware of what is being taught and give them guidance on how to learn on their own. The parent is the primary teacher and needs to take on that responsibility. Preparing our children for college and beyond needs to be a fundamental goal for every parent and not solely left up to the school system.
- Our children are at various stages in their education. Some are in college and some are in junior and senior high school, but all of them are doing well and I believe it’s because we have always taken a strong interest in what they are studying and how they are learning. Teaching our children a strong work ethic is one of the best legacies we can leave with them.
How would you describe the job of a school board member?
- Based on my participation as described earlier, I see that there are many aspects of being a school board member including:
Soliciting input from the parents in their district
Gathering data on which initiatives are working for the students and which ones aren’t and putting more emphasis on those that are working
Managing funding – controlling spending and bond impacts and reducing debt where possible
Monitoring and providing input on legislation that is education specific
Making sure local input is given precedence over federal influence
Tracking the impact of testing programs on the students and creating or choosing those that are beneficial to our students and representative of our community
What is the purpose of public education?
- In my opinion, public education is a tool for assisting parents in the teaching and preparing of their children to be successful in their lives after they have completed high school.